Storage: Using External Hard Drive
Using External Hard Drive
by jneenan - 4/13/08 2:31 PMHi I was wondering what the proper way of using an external hard drive is to avoid anything going wrong with the data. Can it be plugged in, or turned on and off whenever? or does it have to be turned on before the computer starts up. Also, I have heard that if the power source is unplugged, that you can lose all your data, is this true, and if so, how can you protect your data from blackouts?
Thanks!
Mine is USB connected, with an on/off switch.
To get a still better picture ...
by Kees Bakker
- 4/13/08 2:50 PM
In reply to: Using External Hard Drive by jneenan
one question. Is the deviced powered via the USB cable, or does it have a separate power cord, or even a separate adapter?
And what you heard certainly is untrue. I use my external hard disk for backup, and most of the time it's just lieing around in a drawer of my desk at my work. Hard disk don't lose data when disconnected. Neither do USB-sticks, by the way.
What you certainly should know, is that an external hard disk somehow is less reliable than an internal hard disk (in your computers case). It's a bad idea to use any hard disk to store the ONLY copy of any data you don't want to lose and it's a VERY bad idea to do so on an external disk. So whatever data you put on it, be sure to have at least one backup copy elsewhere.
I realize this is not an answer to your primary question about switching on/of and (dis)connecting. If you answer the question I started with, I'm sure somebody will give you a good answer.
Kees
It has a separate power cord with adapter
by jneenan - 4/13/08 3:06 PM In reply to: To get a still better picture ... by Kees Bakker
The external HD has its own power cable with an adapter. What I meant when I said that I heard that I might lose the data if it was unplugged is that I heard that if the power to the drive was unplugged while it was being used then I might lose the data. Obviously I wouldn't just unplug the power, but if there was a blackout in my building then there would be no power coming into it.
That's true.
by R. Proffitt - 4/13/08 3:14 PM
In reply to: It has a separate power cord with adapter by jneenan
Losing power during a write is a bad thing. There is something we can do to help and that is to use a damage resistant file system. Some drives come in FAT32 and those have been known to vanish on an unplug or power loss. You want to move to NTFS for more damage resistance.
Okay
by jneenan - 4/13/08 3:22 PM In reply to: That's true. by R. Proffitt
Well my drive is formatted in NTFS, so that's good to hear. I just wish I knew that a blackout wouldn't harm my data though, and I'm wondering what I might be able to do to stop it. Also, is there something inside a computer that stops the data from being damaged that isn't in the external hard drive enclosure?
For Windows...
by R. Proffitt - 4/13/08 4:18 PM
In reply to: Okay by jneenan
NTFS is good as it gets today. If you were using the old FAT32 file system then I'd worry. But for now your only concern is keeping your backups current. Don't whittle it down to one copy on any one drive.
Bob
Blackouts
by VSchwenoha - 4/18/08 11:43 PM In reply to: It has a separate power cord with adapter by jneenanPlug your computer and external hard drive into a surge protector with a battery backup. This way, if you encounter a blackout, they will have power for another 5-20 minutes, depending on the quality of your battery backup, and you will be able to save all of your work/finish writing to the external hard drive/cancel a write process, and then you can shut everything down and wait until the power comes back on, thus avoiding data loss through power loss. Search "surge protector battery backup" to find products that may interest you.
Best,
V
P.S. ~ I will not be tracking this thread.
What I do.
by Kees Bakker - 4/14/08 2:15 PM
In reply to: Using External Hard Drive by jneenan
I've got one like you, with an external power adapter.
First I connect it to the USB-port. Then I power up. That's what my printer does also; that's always connected and turned on when I want to print something.
But, come to think of it, occasionally I might do it the other way around. It doesn't harm.
The essential thing: use the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the bottom right or shutdown the machine before disconnecting or powering down.
Kees
Using External Hard Drive
by VAPCMD - 4/14/08 5:46 PM In reply to: Using External Hard Drive by jneenanNever have the only copy of your data on a single drive..especially an external HDD.
Once you've copied your data to the external HDD, 'unplug or disconnect it' like you would any USB device.
After disconnecting the drive...then power it down and remove the AC power from it. If it's not connected and not running it can't get hit by a power spike or a virus.
If you only have a small amount of DATA to backup....might be able to do that on DVDs.
Hope this helps.
VAPCMD
Okay
by jneenan - 4/14/08 9:47 PM In reply to: Using External Hard Drive by VAPCMDThanks guys
HD in enclousure
by lizardo_manson - 4/18/08 9:04 PM In reply to: Okay by jneenanWhat i do is that, plug the power cable, turn the HD then connect the usb cable to the computer and that is. After doing any backup i just use the remove device using the icon in task bar.
I use an internal hard drive and the external (hard drive inside enclosure i bought) to have backups.
Ext. HD Power
by lizardo_manson - 4/19/08 6:49 AM In reply to: Using External Hard Drive by jneenanI recommend to connect the power to a battery backup if available to avoid corruption if power go down.
EVERYBODY should format the external HDs in NTFS
by b8375629 - 4/19/08 10:21 AM In reply to: Ext. HD Power by lizardo_mansonI suspect 2/3rds of the problems people have with their external HDs would go away overnight.
When hard drives start to go bad
by isaguf - 4/19/08 11:03 AM In reply to: Using External Hard Drive by jneenanYou can reformat like everyone else says, run check disk if hadware issues, run disk defrag "before" file corruption, or the best solution...throw it in the garbage. When hardware starts to fail it doesn't say it is broken, it is what it says that it is trying to stay alive for you. It says I am about to break so get off your butt and get a replacement. Anyhow this an FYI if you didn't already know it. All the other posts about NTFS and FAT are half truthes about what is better, but both do not provide a solution. Good luck though and do whatever you can to backup the data you think is critical and dump the rest. Don't believe me and you can find out for yourself, doesn't matter your data is your life.
HDs fail - That is a fact of life
by b8375629 - 4/19/08 2:36 PM In reply to: When hard drives start to go bad by isagufAnd you're absolutely right, backups are a necessity, but if you bought a NEW HD and are having problems with files disappearing, then the first step is to reformat the drive away from the old FAT32 to NTFS. Most people don't. They just plug it in out of the box and start adding files.
Another rule of thumb I use is not to have it connected to the machine, powered on all the time. I only power up when I'm ready to do actual file transfers. Then I use the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon down by the clock in the service tray to unmount it through Windows each time I want to shut it off. I don't just pull the USB cable out of the machine when I think the transfer is complete. I've seen a lot of people do that, too. Sloppy.
You can do some things that will make your HD last longer. Try not to be so negative.
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